Sleep Without Murder
by reminiscent-afterthought
Summary: The Sakurazukamori and the Sumeragi clan had become invariably tied. The birth of a new generation of twins took the associated problems to a whole new level. OC centric.
1. Arrival

**A/N: **Okay, so I just felt like using Google translate to put the tiles in Japanese. Consider it as the title page. I put the transliteration in as well, in case you're like me and has friends obsessing over the Japanese alphabet and yet never took the care to learn it myself. :)

There are some canon characters appearing, but this is in essence a next-gen fic. No bugging me about the twins yet; things will be explained in due course, and they are not intended to be replicas of Subaru and Hokuto. The names are a big hint in the meantime.

I'm still working on the update schedule for X-1999 fics, so it's possible this won't be the one updated consistently. It depends on how long it takes for all plots involved to sort themselves out, so please bear with me, and tell me what you think.

And if there are any random spaces floating around, blame the uni computers. I tried to fix them, but some are stubborn and just come back.

* * *

**殺人なしで眠る****  
**_Satsujinnashi de nemuru_

**_Sleep Without Murder_**

第1章: 到着  
_Dai 1-shō : Tōchaku_

_Chapter 1 :Arrival_

* * *

The Sakura blossoms had just started to come into bloom with Autumn's arrival. Petals caught the gentle morning light, free from the harsh prolonged fire of summer to bloom the colour of watered blood. White specks filtered through the sea, few and far between – they did little to impart a sense of purity upon a screaming tree.

The boy beneath was a different image. Young though he was, his hair had long since been stripped of any colour. The white strands were cut in a bowl fashion, shallow and tame even as the wind tickled at it. His hair simply possessed the natural ability to maintain its neatness, much to the chagrin of many others.

Footsteps approach, prompting him to close his eyes to the Sakura really must have been distracted by it, he mused, to have not detected the intruder's presence. Especially with the spiritual power the tree emitted.

Then he rolled his eyes as he realised who it idiot always had a habit of appearing at times he didn't want company.

'Why is it that every year, we get a new student two weeks into term?'

'Perhaps we should ask ourselves instead why the season of harvest always begins with the Sakura trees coming into bloom,' the other replied, strands of colourless hair framed an equally pale face.

The brunette tilted his chin, an exasperated expression plastered across his face. 'You say that every year, but we all know you like Autumn best of all…even with the Sakura trees being at their prettiest.' He looked at the petals of white and pastel pink, before turning his face away. The consumed blood and consequent spools of emotions screamed at him, but he had tried and failed to set the tree free from its curse. Trying again would only weaken him; not even his Onmyouji powers as the fourteenth head of the Sumeragi clan were enough to set the Sakuras free.

And this one he had to pass every single day, thanks to someone's brilliant idea to plant it at the school entrance.

Maybe it was fortunate that Akihiko had showed up after all. His constant stream of chatter made it difficult to concentrate on anything, much less years of hatred, pain and death buried beneath their fit.

'Anyway…this new girl's apparently a real looker, you know?'

'I know.'

The brunette blinked; the other's reply had held a quality of frankness in its monotone. It wasn't the flippant attitude of one uninterested in such information, nor the frustration of being interrupted – which he had, quite honestly, been expecting; it happened almost every other interaction after all. But the voice was simply of that who did, in fact, know.

'You _know_ her?'

The albino turned his head away. 'I suppose you could say that,' he murmured, somewhat sadly, before tilting his head up. His pupils constricted as the sun assaulted them, and he winced while cursing the inability to wear a hat or sunglasses within the school compound.

The brunette folded his arms. 'All right,' he grumbled. 'Spill already. What's the backstory here.'

Silence.

'Sumeragi Seizonsha, you answer that question right now!'

'You think you are my mother?' the other, somewhat coldly, replied.

Akihiko chortled at that. 'I wonder how far your mother would get anyway, considering _you're_ the head of the clan and all. But –' He stopped at the thunderous expression on the other's face, before back-tracking his thoughts. 'What'd I say?' he asked, confused.

'Nothing,' the other ground out, abandoning the Sakura tree as he walked towards the buildings.

'Hey!' The brunette jogged a few paces to catch up. 'You never told me about how you know about the new student.'

'She's my sister,' came the answer by the doors, and then the onmyouji master was gone, vanishing down the hallway to homeroom.

Akihiko stood in the frame, grumbling, before setting off towards his own class. 'Geeze Sei-kun,' he muttered. 'You can't go and tell me _that_ and nothing else. Especially since you never so much as mentioned having a sister.'

* * *

The principal had simply let a surprised expression flitter across his face before deferring her to his secretary. Seiichiro Aoki proved far more amiable host. The difference in reactions baffled her still; it was not hierarchy in power in play, but perhaps it was the fact that the latter was surrounded by a wife and children while the former man lived alone. But she did not entertain the thought for long; it was simply a fleeting deliberation.

The brunet printed off a timetable, handing her the paper before staring curiously at the shikigami on her shoulder. He opened his mouth to say something, but when the cat jumped onto his desk to peer at the paper he held, he closed it again to reconsider. She couldn't see why; her shikigami's view was obscured by the words scrawled in a basic font…but she assumed it had something to do with the pencil cup obstacle. After all, she had heard no clattering of metal on wood.

'Is…is that a shikigami?' Aoki asked, blinking. When the cat turned its mismatched eyes to stare at him, its summoner could see the recognition. 'I take it you're an onmyouji as well?'

'Yes,' she replied, her voice hoarse from lack of use. Her tongue rolled fluidly over that, however the next answer provided a little more of a stumbling block.

'If you need anything, my door is open to you any time, Sumeragi-chan.'

She blinked, staring at her own face as the shikigami turned its head as it staring at her. When out for long periods of time, the magical creatures developed a pseudo-personality based on the routine caster they were attached to. Unfortunately, when they were also sent from one's side often, they took little slivers of personality from other people…and so the cat looked like it was mildly scolding her.

'I'll keep that in mind,' she said eventually, her tongue rolling over the foreign words.

Aoki looked her over; the straight black hair and the look in her eyes (save the white tint) reminded him quite firmly of the last time he'd crossed paths with Sumeragi Subaru. Despite the reversal of destinies for the onmyouji and his own duty as a Dragon of Heaven, the other had made no move to attack him when they'd met on the ruins of Rainbow Bridge. They'd exchanged few words, all in all, however the mismatched eyes had told a novel in their own.

A somewhat different story than that which was being written by the student in front of her.

'Just a moment Sumeragi-chan,' he called as the female turned to leave, cat leaping back onto her shoulder. 'Your schedule.'

The cat turned its unnerving towards him as pale fingers gripped the sheet. His other hand rummaged around in his desk, looking for a clip he knew was there. It was remarkable how often girls forgot the "long hair up" rule.

'And please tie or clip your hair back. We have a policy against long hair being left loose.'

'Why?' the girl asked, tone unchanging. It sounded, if nothing else, like disinterested curiosity.

'I'll have to get back to you on that,' the ex-Seal replied sheepishly.

The fifteen year old gave no more thought to the statement. For some reason though, his other words burned a little ember into her mind. She didn't realise at the time however, simply stepping over the threshold as the secretary hurried out himself, ready to lead like an unneeded guide.

Perhaps if he had been needed, it would have been quickly forgotten. After all, she _had_ needed the guide from Kyoto. And yet she couldn't care less about his face. Or hers.

* * *

Akihiko spent the first half of homeroom wondering exactly what sort of character Seizonsha's sister was, before moving onto scenarios as to explain the separate living arrangements. He'd just settled on a web of lies wrought by divorce when the secretary entered, guiding a female figure along with him.

It took a moment for him to realise she was the new student, and thus his best friend's sister. Maybe it was the long black hair (twisted into a bun via school regulations). Maybe it was the fact that the uniform she wore was a little big on her (and by no fault of the uniform; it was she who was small), the material sagging on her shoulders and concealing her waist. Maybe it was her eyes: one blue and one brown, but both sharpened by the white glint in them taking precedence over where her pupils should be. Maybe it was just her overall appearance…because there was no denying she was beautiful. Almost like the English character Snow White, with her midnight-black hair and snow-white skin., or a painted doll. She almost looked like a goddess forbidden to man.

That part of her reminded the brunette about the alleged sibling. Sei-kun had that quality about him as well. Of course, it probably came with the territory, being the fourteenth head of the Sumeragi clan and all. Then he shook his head; he was getting off topic.

Several other classmates stifled gasps at the sight before them, before one shrieked as a cat appeared on the delicate shoulder.

The teacher blinked, before the secretary leaned across to whisper something in her ear.

'Ah, I see.' The surprise somewhat eased, but a sliver still lurked within the grey eyes as he looked the student over. When the cat's eyes, the same colour as her master's, turned to stare into her very soul, she broke the spell and turned back to the class. 'Everyone, this is Sumeragi Satsui. I trust you will all make her feel welcome.'

Several heads turned, unspoken conversations flying between them. Akihiko could imagine what they were talking about. "Sumeragi" wasn't a very common surname after all. And Satsui was a very interesting given name to go along with it.

Heh, and he'd thought the name "Seizonsha" was bad. At least _that_ one didn't carry two contradictory meanings.

It was only when the cat crawled onto his desk that he realised two things. One, he had yet to take his eyes off the girl. And two, she was his new desk-mate.

Oh brother. Sei-kun was going to kill him anyway. There was no need to inform him about the blush he was busy fighting down, or the butterflies fluttering about his stomach – although, seeing some disgruntled looks from the girls towards their male friends, he wasn't the only one flailing around an invisible spider's web.

* * *

Satsui simply could not understand why people wished to spend so many hours in such a disinteresting and uncomfortable place. Within her first period, the back of the wooden chair had chaffed at her spine, making her wince a little when a change of room finally arrived and she stood – perhaps the highlight of her day so far. The material covered had been rather simple; it was nothing that could not be learnt from a few textbooks, cross-referenced to ensure all errors were weeded out. It seemed, all in all, a complete waste of time.

Of course, she had little choice in the matter if she ever wanted to enter her own household again. The Sumeragi estate had never felt like the home she had spent the first seven years of her life within, and in reality, it was the only reason she had accepted her brother's invitation to return to Tokyo. From afar, she had watched his life proceed, learning the things he learnt and furthering them when it struck her fancy. It often did, as she found the unease surrounding her brother's life was nothing to be envied. As long as her shikigami did not stray too far from the boy, it was free to roam around bookshelves and absorb knowledge. Everything was cross-referenced; her great-grandmother had warned her about the detrimental effects errors in print could have, particularly when onmyoujitsu was involved.

But in the end, humans were probably more unreliable than books. At least those, if put together, could fill the ocean with bright clear ocean with its salty breeze as her kimono pooled around tranquil sky and the white seagulls stretching their wings towards the sky. Or the Sakura tree with its lovely blossoms, glittering softly amidst the stars of the night sky. She could have any world she wanted – they made her happy.

The problem was, they did not make her content. And because of that, she could not rest.

And so she found herself enrolled in school with people her own age and none of which she understood. It didn't particularly matter; she was a simple observer.

That was, until cause was given to alter that role.

In the meantime, she had to daydream her way through another half day before returning…home.

It was odd. For something she'd waited seemingly a lifetime for, her spirit didn't change particularly much.

The grey view shifted towards her own face as the shikigami turned from the fleeting crowd to stare at her.

* * *

Akihiko realised he had been wrong; only he, the teacher and the secretary could see the black cat currently curled in the middle of the joint desk. Mismatched eyes stared towards the door, as if watching the students file out. Not one person had stopped by their desk (in the second row, right in front of the teacher's desk for the simple reason that he was a renown troublemaker) to pet the cat or coo over its adorableness – and there were a fair amount of girls liable to do so.

But it was only Monou-sensei staring at the desk from time to time, and himself. And Sumeragi Satsui of course, who adjusted her posture almost absent-mindedly every time the cat decided to leap onto her shoulders. But when it jumped onto the desk in front for some unapparent reason, Akihiko was sure it was not a cat at all.

That left two alternatives. Either it was a shikigami(which was the more likely possibility as she came from a family of onmyouji and it was thus not inconceivable for her to be one as well) or a spirit of some sort, the particulars he never did understand. Nor did he understand exactly how he could see shikigami when he was blind to all other supernatural elements – but Seizonsha had explained in one instance, and not particularly patiently, that the affinity to see shikigami was more common than that of being attuned to the spiritual realm. But if two people in a class of thirty-something students were sensitive, then he wondered exactly how rare his friend's powers really were after all.

No wonder he had to miss so much school to go on "supernatural" missions. There can't be many people able to fill in. Especially not the apparent "best of the best", which was what the heads of the Sumeragi clan were known to be…or so his father told him.

But it really did make him wonder why the other had never mentioned a sister before, and why they had lived separately. After all, he knew more about the onmyouji master than anyone else in the school…or perhaps anyone at all save the boy's maternal grandfather and guardian. Or so he had always thought.

What sort of person was Sumeragi Satsui, to have Sei-kun's thoughts so firmly held that the other broken his usual tradition of engaging him in "polite" conversation?

Of course, with the two of them, polite conversation usually meant an argument of some level. And, in his books, a one lined snipe did not count as an argument.


	2. Relation

**A/N: **The Minamoto clan were one of the imperial descendents demoted into nobility and Hachiman was a local diety for them, and therefore they played a role in protecting the shrine. I've taken creative liberties to associate them more closely with the shrine. The founder was apparently Emperor Saga who allegedly had 49 children…so that's quite an extended family, but the heirs are descendents from the first child/son until that line is extinct.

As far as names go, Kyoku means music. Fitting for a music teacher huh.

Satsui at school is such a pain.

Anyway, enjoy and tell me what you think.

* * *

**殺人なしで眠る****  
**_Satsujinnashi de nemuru_

**_Sleep Without Murder_**

第2章 : 関係  
_Dai 2-shō : Kankei_

_Chapter 2 : Relation_

* * *

Akihiro was glad for the study period. He was further glad that both he and his new desk-mate had wound up in the same class for their arts elective. Seizonsha took calligraphy; it was a given, considering his field. So the brunette was somewhat surprised to find his sister had followed him to the music classroom.

'You take music?' he asked.

The cat turned on her shoulder and gave him an odd look. The girl mirrored it.

The brunet backed away a little. The double-effect was somewhat creepy. 'That's creepy,' he protested out loud. 'And in my defence it was a fair question.'

'Why else would I be in this room?' Satsui asked. Her tone suggested her question was equally fair.

'You could have gotten lost,' the boy defended.

'Lost,' the girl repeated, hand for unknown reasons coming up to tug at the black bun. The clip, Akihiro noticed, looked like one of those Aoki-sensei kept in his drawer for girls who forgot or attempted to disregard the "long hair back" rule. 'I suppose I am.'

'Actually, I'm surprised you found your way. Or did you know I was taking music and just followed me?' He scratched his head. 'Maybe those maps _are_ good for something –'

Satsui blinked once. The cat on her shoulder blinked twice.

'Why do you have your shikigami out?' he blurted out suddenly, stopping himself mid-rant. 'Or how for that matter? Doesn't it take like…a _lot_ of energy?'

'Experience,' Satsui replied shortly, but not rudely. It was more as though she felt the explanation sufficient.

Akihiro was impressed anyway, reaching out a hand to pet the cat – only to have it hiss at him. 'Uhh…can shikigami do that?'

'They have instincts outside the will of their creator,' the – definitely an onmyouji like her brother – replied. 'I don't believe details about onmyoujitsu is public knowledge, nor is the ability to see shiki widespread.'

Well, the girl certainly spoke quite formally. But he supposed that was what happened when one was brought up in a family as old-fashioned as the Sumeragis sounded. It was one thing to visit once a year, another entirely to _live_ there.

'It's not,' Akihiro responded, a tad sheepishly. 'My father's Chief of Police, and when he gets "weird" cases – ' he used air quotes on t he "weird". ' – he calls in the Sumeragi clan. So he knows a bit about them. Then, when I met Sei-kun at school and became friendly with him, he told me a little more.'

'Friend?' the girl repeated.

'Hehe…we don't look much like friends, with the way we fight all the time, but that's just our way of –'

The music teacher walked in at that moment. 'Fukui-kun, please take your seat.'

He did so with a 'plop,' claiming the vacant seat next to Satsui. Several boys glared at him. The woman simply sighed as she took out the roll.

After answering to his name, Akihiro leaned over. 'That's Kyoku-sensei. She's one hell of a music teacher, but she –'

'Fukui-kun!' teacher snapped right on cue. 'Care to repeat that?'

'Uh…I was just explaining to the new girl.'

'Explaining what exactly?'

A few giggles escaped from watching students as Akihiro answered: 'Your name Sensei.'

Kyoku-sensei sighed. 'Surely my name isn't that complicated.'

'No Sensei.'

'I trust you'll be quiet then?'

'Yes Sensei.'

She continued on with the roll in the once again silent classroom. She simply had that impression. It wasn't quiet for long though as the students split for their instruments and individual practice.

'So…' Akihiro began, once the teacher was busy with the equipment. 'What are you –'

'Fukui-kun.'

'Eep.' The boy jumped.

'I've already passed out the drums.'

'Ah, yes Sensei.' He quickly snagged the last one, relieved to find it wasn't the one with the rip. Someone must have accidently taken that one.

Kyoku-sensei moved onto the new student. 'I'm afraid we only have spare guitars and flutes, although you can share the piano if you like.'

'I play flute,' the girl said quietly.

'That's fine.' She quickly examined the girl before retrieving a flute for her. 'Let's here you play.'

After a few notes, she was satisfied that the new student could indeed play, and perhaps better than the students she'd had since the previous semester.

Akihiro had set up the drums moment later, and so had the rest of the students with their equipment. Satsui stopped playing in astonishment as all the sounds mixed together, but Kyoku-sense really knew what she was doing as she easily sorted out who was doing what wrong and where.

She also managed to pick up on the fact that she'd stopped playing, and so Satsui pressed the flute to her lips once more. This time, she closed her eyes, letting the music reach beyond her ears and into her sixth sense, letting it weave a warm and comforting illusion about her.

A scratch from the shikigami told her it had become visible, and she frowned before focusing more firmly. It wasn't like she couldn't keep the illusions invisible, but when she was within them she could easily forget the hard wooden ground and the empty space of room…

Or in this case the crowded desks and clashes of noises. The extra concentration put them all in the background.

'Fukui-kun, _what_ are you doing?'

She blinked and stopped again; Kyoku-sensei's voice had been almost in her ears. Akihiro beside her stopped pounding on his drums.

'Yes Sensei?' he asked, a little confused.

'I asked you to play page 23, not 25.'

'Oh…' He looked at his music book, open at the wrong page. 'Whoops.'

'But your music was good.'

A pause, and then the teacher regretted her words at the high-pitched: 'really!'

* * *

Seizonsha was rather relieved to find his sister absent from his first class; he hadn't quite been prepared to meet her. That relief stemmed over to second period as well – it was only when the last period before lunch came with its chaos that he wondered whether the girl had simply gone straight to the shrine or if she had found her way okay.

_Really_, he shook his head. _I don't know why I was expecting her to come straight to the school._

So it was a complete shock when he walked straight into her. Even more of a shock when her Shikigami (later he'd worry about why it was active and on her shoulder) scratched his face in retaliation. He'd also later question why the darned cat looked so familiar.

And he was going to _completely_ ignore Akihiro stifling a snicker in the background. Instead, he remained still, and a tad awkward. Truthfully, it wasn't in his nature to apologize for many things; he normally only caught himself doing so when a job failed or caused some problem he hadn't intended. It seemed the government truthfully expected more from him than he had to offer; he wasn't nearly as powerful as it was rumoured the thirteenth Sumeragi head had been.

It was a wonder he really was the most powerful onmyouji in his family – or his father's side of the family anyway. His mother had been the heir of the Minamoto clan during her time; he supposed his sister was the heir now, as he himself lead the Sumeragi clan and crawled under the shadow of his father's legacy. That made the circumstances rather unusual; why should the head of the Sumeragis grow up with the current priest of the Tomioka Hachiman shrine, while the Minamoto's heir should foster under the guidance of the Sumeragi family home? They were after all the last living descendents of the Emperor Saga's eldest (of fourty-nine) sons.

He also did not understand his grandfather's reluctance to allow her to visit. It was not until he turned fifteen that he conceded the matter, and not in good grace.

'You are the head of the Sumeragi clan,' he had said, his manner a tad condensing. 'And are evidently old enough to decide in manners concerning your household.' There had been a stipulation however: 'Just remember that while you live under the head of the Tomioka Hachiman shrine, I as the head of the Minamoto clan and the priest of this shrine still hold jurisdictions to what goes on under my roof.'

Seizonsha had been a tad surprised his grandfather hadn't attempted to pull the guardian card out of his sleeve. As it was though, it was a tentative yes and Satsui had shown no reluctance in accepting the introduction. What was surprising though was the segregation into "me" and "you" as opposed to "us" as it had used to be. Then again, they weren't the closest family in the world.

He had not however considered what they would do, after having barely shared a decent conversation for eight years. So it wasn't wholly unexpected (despite Akihiro's gaping) that an apology was the first thing that fell from his lips.

'You don't apologize for such regular occurrences,' Satsui responded factually, gracefully picking herself up off the floor. If the two boys hadn't known better (_what_ was Akihiro doing there anyway?), they would think she had chosen the position of seating herself.

'Are you calling me clumsy?' Seizonsha retaliated automatically, before checking himself a tad late.

'Am I?' the girl asked back.

And the conversation died there. It turned out Akihiro had some uses after all.

'Come on guys.'

'And girl,' Satsui interrupted in a monotone.

Akihiro waved his hands, although he couldn't hide the slight stumble. 'Guys are general. But let's go eat lunch.'

Seizonsha rolled his eyes. 'How often do you and I eat lunch together?'

'As often as I can manage it, Sei-kun,' the other replied cheerfully, patting him on the back, before turning to the female. 'What about you? Would you do me the honour of enjoying your company a little while longer before Sei-kun here boxes me?'

'Boxes?' the girl repeated, although she didn't look largely interested. 'I was under the impression the two of you engaged in verbal fights to settle your differences, and where that should fail, physical –'

She blinked in surprise as Akihiro quickly covered her mouth.

'Don't let any of the teachers hear you say that,' he hissed, before grinning sheepishly. 'We get into enough trouble as it is.' He then turned to grin at Seizonsha. 'I didn't realised you talked about me to your sister. I'm flattered.'

'I didn't,' the boy frowned. 'Except to mention you're annoying the last time I visited.'

'Visited?'

'The Sumeragi family home. New Years.' After all, as the Head of the Sumeragi clan, he had to be present for such festives. It was nowhere near as glamerous as Akihiro made it out to be – it was a wonder the industry still went on after the hype of the apocalypse died down some sixteen years ago. But it did, and there _were_ always restless spirits and wayward people causing trouble (whether unintentional or not). There was simply less people around that believed in it all.

The brunet frowned. 'Man, must be weird.'

The two siblings just looked at each other, validating the statement.

'Yep, weird. Do you two even know how to act like normal siblings?'

'What exactly do you mean by "normal"?' Seizonsha replied, a little frostily. Akihiro was getting into "annoying-mode" again. In other words, he was poking his nose in where it didn't belong.

'Easy,' the brunet responded brightly. 'Like, Sumeragi-chan, you've got some good blackmail material. And aren't you guys even going to _hug_ each other. You haven't met since last New Years.'

He looked like he was about to push the two together, so maybe it was a blessing in disguise when Seizonsha's cell phone beeped, indicating a text message.

'A job,' he said curtly, snapping the black casing shut. He pulled a notebook out of his other pocket and quickly scrawled an address, handing it to his sister.

The shikigami took the slip of paper from him.

'That's the shrine address,' he explained. 'Grandpa will be waiting there after school.'

Something shadowed the pale and beautifully blank face, but Satsui nodded and took the paper from her cat.

'Honestly, Sei-kun.' Akihiro shook his head at the lost cause as he muttered to the fleeing back. 'Oh well…' He turned back to Satsui. 'So how about it? Will you grant me the honour of having lunch with you before Sei-kun boxes me?'

'Why is it an honour?'

_This girl is weird…_he thought, before shrugging to himself. Weird people were the only kind he got along with.

'Err, I was just kidding around with you.' He laughed, hoping the girl wouldn't get the wrong impression. 'But I was serious about lunch. Did you bring anything?'

Satsui shook her head. No-one had cared to prepare it for her, but she had money. After all, the Sumeragi household had provided her needs and left her with the change when she departed from them. Quite a few had looked relieved to see her go.

'Guess it's the cafeteria then.' The hallway was almost emptied out by that time; no-one spared them a second glance. ''tou-san's always too busy to pack anything, and he runs around enough so it doesn't matter he has burgers and stuff for lunch. I would much rather that then the jell-o they serve though.'

'Jello?'

'Yeah, those things that look like jelly except they're…floppy?' he tried. It was kind of hard explaining jello to someone. ''tou-san says it's not even a Japanese thing; it wasn't around when he was at school. They're a lot less sweet – tasteless really.'

Both the female and her shikigami looked at him.

'That's creepy,' he complained again, realising he'd never gotten that question answered in music. 'Why do you have your shikigami anyway? Nothing dangerous can get into CLAMP.'

'Shikigami are the onmyouji's eyes and ears as well.'

'Oh, so that means…' He looked at her more closely. Suddenly, the whites in her eyes made sense; they were like a full albino's in a sense – Seizonsha was lucky his eyes still retained some pigments and so he avoided that. 'You're blind!'

'Temporarily,' the girl said. The cat tickled her cheek and she withdrew an ofuda from her sleeve, muttering under her breath.

'Uhh…'

A shiki formed: a raven by the looks of it, and it flew through the ceiling as though there was no barrier between them.

'Err…are you following your brother?' That was about the only thing that made sense, the only way she would know her way around CLAMP campus without the map. 'I guess that's one way to get to know someone.'

'I have a question…' Satsui said slowly, her tone changing subtly for the first time since they'd met.

'Yeah?'

'Why are you so friendly with my brother?'

Akihiro looked at her. 'He's my friend.'

'Why?'

That was a difficult question. 'I dunno,' he said finally. 'There was just something about him – I actually cared what he thought. Anyone can tell me I'm a dunce and they can be stuffed, but one day I dropped one of my tests and he picked it up and rolled his eyes at the mark. Granted, his wasn't much better, but he'd been missing school. And then we wound up having to take the make-up test together so the teacher made us study with each other. And –' He rubbed a mat into the back of his hair. 'Well, he kind of "convinced" me to study.'

'Why wouldn't you want to study?'

'Who wants to?' He threw his hands into the air. 'School's so boring. Mind you, this is one of the most prestigious schools in the country, so I have to work to pass, but seriously…'

'What's better to do?' Studying was a good way for her to spend time; after all, she couldn't cast illusions all the time and she needed information to build and change them.

The brunet stopped, looking at the girl incredulously. 'Seriously?' he asked. 'Go to the arcade, eat, play sports, pull pranks on people – hey, you look cute like that you know.'

The bewildered expression grew even more confused, but Akihiro knew he was right. It was way cuter than the blank expression. More person-friendly too.

'Anyway…lunch?'

Satsui shook her head. 'I don't understand,' she admitted.

'Neither does Sei-kun.' Akihiro shrugged. 'You two are probably the only people in the school who don't.'


End file.
